Free printable from a child clinical psychologist
Intrusive Thoughts Worksheet: eight ways to help your child or teen handle unwanted, upsetting thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted ideas or images that pop into the mind without warning, and they are surprisingly common. This two-page worksheet gives your teen eight strategies to try and a place to record which ones help. With a younger child, you can work through it together.
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What's inside
- A checklist of eight strategies I teach in therapy, to try one at a time
- A page to record each intrusive thought and the strategies that work best for it
- A clear message throughout: thoughts are not facts
From me
I'm Dr Lucy Russell, a child clinical psychologist with over 20 years of clinical experience. I use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), combined with other approaches, in my work with children and teens. Having an intrusive thought says nothing about your child's character or values. What matters is how they respond to it.
"Lucy took great care to listen to us carefully, identify the issues and help us understand our son's behaviour."Parent at Lucy's Clinic, Everlief Child Psychology
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